Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian Subcontinent

Zootaxa 3784 (5): 528–538 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3784.5.2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:209DF328-B6EE-45DC-88E2-412C5E7D514F Four new species of the grass feeding leafhopper genus Nicolaus Lindberg (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent

C.A. VIRAKTAMATH1 & M.D. WEBB2 1Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560065, India. E-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The leafhopper genus Nicolaus Lindberg is recorded from India and Pakistan for the first time. Four new species, N. abuensis sp. nov., N. bidentatus sp. nov., N. cornutus sp. nov. and N. serratus sp. nov. are described and illustrated. N. bihamatus Xing & Li, earlier known from China is recorded from India and Pakistan. A key to the species of Nicolaus from the study area is provided.

Key words: Auchenorrhyncha, Paralimnini, India, Pakistan

Introduction

The grass feeding leafhopper genus Nicolaus was described by Lindberg (1958) with Nicolaus xerophilus Lindberg as the type species, from the Cape Verde Islands. Linnavuori (1962) described the genus Jubrinia with Jubrinia distincta Linnavori as the type species from the Mediterranean region. Stiller (1998) revised the genus Nicolaus from the African region, synonymised Jubrinia with Nicolaus, treated 24 species and opined that “Many new species await discovery, especially in West and East Africa”. The first Asian species of Nicolaus (Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li, 2011) was described from China. Here we record the genus from India and Pakistan for the first time and record five species, four described herein as new. Specimens of some of these species were collected on grass or trapped at light. Nicolaus has very characteristic male genitalia with a membranous aedeagal shaft supported ventrally by a pair of prominent, well sclerotized preatrial processes. The latter’s mistaken identity as paired aedeagal shafts resulted in the previous placement of the genus in Opsiini by Lindberg (1958) and Linnavuori (1962) before Stiller (1998) correctly placed the genus in Paralimnini. Based on its preatrial processes, Nicolaus is close to Hengchunia Vilbaste but this may be superficial as it has the more usual three forewing subapical cells (Fig. 14) rather than the two found in Hengchunia. Some species, e.g., N. cornutus, and N. serratus spp. nov. and N. bihamatus are similar to species of Psammotettix Haupt in coloration, depressed vertex and short subgenital plates. The material used in the study will be deposited in the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore (UASB), National Pusa Collection, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (NPC) and The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH).

Nicolaus Lindberg

Nicolaus 1958: 176. Type species: Nicolaus xerophilus Lindberg, by original designation. Jubrinia Linnavuori 1962: 54. Type species: Jubrinia distincta Linnavuori, by original designation; synonymy by Stiller 1998:326.

Creamy white to ochraceous with brown markings.

528 Accepted by C. Dietrich: 27 Feb. 2014; published: 1 Apr. 2014 FIGURES 65–72. Female valvulae of Nicolaus. 65–68. Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li.: 65. First pair of valvulae, lateral view; 66. Apex of first pair of valvulae magnified; 67. Second pair of valvulae, lateral view; 68. Apex of second pair of valvulae, magnified. 69–72. Nicolaus cornutus sp. nov.: 69. First pair of valvulae, lateral view; 70. Apex of first pair of valvulae magnified; 71. Second pair of valvulae, lateral view; 72. Apex of second pair of valvulae, magnified.

References

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